Acting Minister of Defence Ejup Maqedonci has stated that the gradual change in KFOR’s presence at the Ibar Bridge is linked to the improved security situation in Kosovo.

In a Facebook post, he said that Kosovo now has professional and reliable security institutions, while stressing that coordination with KFOR and international partners remains close.

Maqedonci said that the optimization process, including the adjustment of the presence at the bridge over the Ibar, is the result of professional assessments of the situation on the ground. According to him, this does not mean a reduction in the level of security for any citizen or community in the Republic of Kosovo.

“The gradual optimization of KFOR’s presence, including the adjustment of its presence at the bridge over the Ibar, is above all a reflection of the improved security situation in Kosovo and the increased capacities of our security institutions. This is a process based on professional assessments of the situation on the ground and does not represent a reduction in security for any citizen or community in the Republic of Kosovo. Over the years, Kosovo has built professional and reliable security institutions, while cooperation and coordination with KFOR and international partners continue to be close. The security of all citizens of Kosovo, regardless of ethnicity, is and remains the responsibility and priority of our institutions,” Maqedonci wrote.

He added that efforts by the Serbian leadership to interpret the optimization of KFOR’s presence as a threat to the Serbian community or as evidence of an unstable situation in Kosovo do not reflect the reality on the ground.

“On the contrary, they seek to create the perception of a crisis where professional security assessments show progress,” Maqedonci said.

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